Experiments!

Look how pretty that candle is! I'm trying a new natural way to color my candles. The ones I made with dye chips are beautiful too, but I'm sure they're synthetic dyes. The photo does not do this candle justice. It looks more peachy than this photo shows. I'm doing a burn test right now and it's burning just fine!

I just poured another experimental candle and I can't wait for it to harden so I can burn it! There's two experiments I did on it at the same time. One was color and the other was fragrance. The color came out the opposite of what I was expecting, but that's okay :) It's still pretty :) I don't know how the fragrance will be. We'll see in about 24 hours!

I also placed ANOTHER order today. Various butters and essential oils :)

I'm also thinking of making another batch of goat's milk soap in a little bit. Freezing the goat's milk definitely helps when adding the lye. The last batch I made, I didn't freeze it, and sure enough! it turned that gross orange color and smelled awful.

Gotta go check on my candle!

Candles!

Candles, Candles, Candles!

I made 7 jar candles yesterday. I love the way I can make the wax crystallize! These are a few pictures from the burn test I'm conducting right now. This candle seems to be burning beautifully. This one is an uncolored & unscented one. I have a few colored and unscented, some uncolored and scented, and a couple that are colored & scented.

I already have a Facebook fan that is interested in buying one! How awesome is that? As much as I would love to sell her one, I feel that I really need to invest in insurance first. I've contacted my insurance rep to see if he can write the policy. If he can't, then I'll have to save up for one of the other insurance companies that specialize in bath, beauty, and candle. They want payment upfront :(

Goat Milk Swirly Man Soap

This is today's adventure with soap making! I decided to be brave and add two scents AND a color swirl! Very bold for a beginner. I'm still using this lip balm holder until I get a good mold, but that's alright :)

This is a goat milk soap with some manly scents added. The color is actually cocoa powder mixed with the soap and then drizzled on top and then swirled with a bamboo skewer stick. I think it came out very nicely!

I read somewhere that when using goat milk (or any milk, I suppose) it is best if it is frozen or a slushy consistency since lye heats up liquids rather quickly and you don't want your milk to scorch. So, that's what I did. I poured my raw goat milk into an ice cube tray and let it freeze. The only problem (if you can really call it that) is that my lye and milk mixture doesn't reach 100+ degrees on it's own lol. I had to put it in a hot water bath to reach 100 degrees. But doing it this way keeps the temperature in check and doesn't burn my milk or turn it a terrible orange color as it has been known to do when heated to fast/burned.

I'm also trying a non gel with this soap. I've been READING, READING, READING lately on soaping and I've read that milk soaps are best not gelled.

On my previous blog, I did let that one gel, but I didn't know any better. So far though, it looks like it's going to be fine. I made it Sunday night.

I can't wait to unmold this swirly soap though!

I've been reading up on hot process soap. It seems that this type of soap doesn't have to wait the 4-6 weeks to cure before it can be used. I've made 3 batches already that are cold process and I'm very anxious to try them out. I'd hate to find out that these batches are failures in a month. Although hot process seems like it takes a little more time up front. Between working and sleeping, I don't know if I'll have enough time for hot process. Maybe I'll just stick with cold process for now :)

I made soap!!

Last night I got my courage up and finally took the plunge and made a goat milk soap! I don't have a real mold yet so I used the lip balm display that my BF made me. It'll work for now until he gets me a real mold built. I was anxious (and scared!) so I went ahead and sliced my little loaf. I think it's going to be awesome!

I also went ahead and made a Coffee Scrubby Soap! My BF uses this awful smelling cherry hand cleaner after he's been working on one of the vehicles or just getting dirty in general (lol) and I thought I'd try this soap for him. It's in the fridge now! I hope it comes out good so I can stop giving him the evil eye when he uses that cherry nastiness in the kitchen. LOL

Part Time Job & Soaps!

It's been TOO long since I've blogged! I've had so many things going on that I just haven't had the time.

I finally landed that part time job I'd been wanting. Working part time will give me the extra money I need to purchase supplies for Silver Fox Organics. I'm pretty excited about that! In fact, I just placed a large order last week! It was mainly for soap supplies with a little lip balm mixed in :)

I'm really really anxious to start making soaps! I have some more reading to do because soaping can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. I already have so many ideas for textures and scents!

I have to get a 30 tube lip balm order made up this week and get it up to Happy Cow Creamery! This last batch has sold really fast! It wasn't even two weeks after I dropped off the last order that they called saying they were getting low. Unfortunately, I've been waiting on supplies (luckily they were already on order!) and it's been another week since they called. I really hope they haven't run out. That doesn't look good on me. But, I should have the order up there by Wednesday :)

This was just a quick little blog before bed. I'm hoping to be posting pictures of my soaps very soon!

G'night!

Spoiled Zoe

Good Morning!

I've recently been letting my cats outside during the day. The oldest one is about 3.5 years old and has always been an inside cat (she was a stray). The youngest is a little over a year old and was also a stray. She followed me and my BF home one day while we were out for a walk lol. So, we kept her! She's SO cute! I will have to get a picture of her. Back to my main point...I let the cats out this morning with the dog and the youngest kitty, Zoe, doesn't stay out very long. She sits on the back steps and meows until I let her back in.
Well, I'm in the kitchen on my laptop (my mom had borrowed it and I got it back yesterday and it just hasn't made it back to the office yet lol) and Zoe was just meowing away in the living room. We have a baby gate up to try to deter the animals from coming into the kitchen. Notice I said "try". The cats always come in here anyway. So, Zoe finally jumps the gate and is just meowing and walking around the kitchen. She jumps up onto the barstool behind me and reaches out and touches my back with her paw. Too cute right? I pick her up and put her in my lap and she's been laying/sleeping here now for about 45 minutes lol. Quite as a mouse too. She's so spoiled.

I stopped by Happy Cow Creamery yesterday with my mom. She wanted to pick up a few things. Well, come to find out, they've sold out of my Lip Balm! They need some asap! I told them as soon as my supplies come in, I'd get some whipped up. I'm also going to be designing a new custom label for it :) I'm still working on it but will post pictures when I'm done.

Found a photo of Zoe. This was when we first got her. She's still just as cute though :P

Lip Balm Display Case & Bath Salts

I had a blast at the Red, White, and Blue Festival yesterday in downtown Greenville! My friend's band, Lionz of Zion, went on at 5:30 and rocked until 7:00. They put on a good show as always!

And of course, I was there selling my Lionz of Zion Lip Balm! My awesome BF even whipped me up a display case! Now I don't have to put my lip balm in my cute little casserole dishes :P I think one lady wanted to buy my dishes at the last show! Haha!

Today I made a batch of Relaxing Vanilla & Lavender bath salts! I need to tweak the recipe just a little but they are very nice!






Lie to Me was a rerun tonight :( And next Tuesday baseball is going to be on in the Hell's Kitchen time slot. I'm very upset about that. That is one of my favorite shows. Although I can't wait for MasterChef! I'm so excited!

Well, bedtime is approaching! G'night!

I Love Ordering Supplies!

Hello Everyone!

Today I had to place another supplies order. That's a good feeling to me. I'm completely out of beeswax! I had to replenish my lip balm inventory for the Lionz of Zion show this Sunday, July 4th in downtown Greenville. I'm really hoping to get some sales!

I ordered some shrink tubes for my lip balm. This way, my customers know that the tubes are securely sealed :) I'm hoping I ordered the right one though. I wanted the full tube seal that you just peel the cap part off, leaving the rest on the tube to protect the label.

I also ordered some new lip balm flavor oils!

Coconut Milk & Peach:








And Sugared Strawberries!








I can't wait to try these out!

My order came with two free 1oz. fragrance oils of my choice, too. What a surprise that was! I tried to pick a couple of good ones for my soaps that I'm wanting to make.

I'm pretty excited!

Well, time to get changed and go run some errands!



facebook.com/SilverFoxOrganics
SilverFoxOrganics.etsy.com

July 4th Downtown Greenville! Lionz of Zion on the Pepsi Stage!

Good Evening!

I have some exciting news! I'm going to be able to sell my lip balm at the Lionz of Zion show in downtown Greenville July 4th! This could be HUGE! There's going to be so many people there. Tomorrow I'm going to replenish my inventory (especially the Sweet Orange!) and see about getting some containers/displays for them. I've also made up some half sheet fliers that talk a little bit about Silver Fox Organics.

That's really all I have to talk about today lol. Other than I really really need to start working out again. I keep saying it, but haven't done anything about it yet. I will though. I refuse to gain weight again.

Good night!

Lip Balm Sales!

Last night was the first time I went out in public to sell my organic lip balm. I customized the label for my friend's band, Lionz of Zion. They were playing a show with three other bands. I had previously given my friend, Brian, a batch of L.o.Z lip balm and it has been selling really well! But, they really wanted me to come out and "hustle" my product. It makes sense though. Guys trying to sell lip balm=weirdness lol. I sold 11 tubes! Not too bad for the first time being out. Here's a few pics of the custom labeled lip balm:



































I have made a mental note to add "handmade" to my signs next time. People that I talked to about my lip balm didn't realize I actually MADE it. I suppose they just thought I re-labeled some other companies lip balm. Once people realized I actually made it, they were really impressed! It made me feel good :)

On another note, I was trying to get a part time job to help finance Silver Fox Organics. I've been through the entire interview process, including; drug testing and fingerprinting. I talked to the manager Monday and he made it sound like I would know something this week. So, I've been expecting a call all week. Well, this morning I wake up (well, it was nearly noon. I was out late last night promoting my product so I didn't get to bed until late.) and I had a missed call from that job. They didn't leave a voicemail though and I can't get in touch with the manager. It's kind of stressing me out and making me nervous/anxious. I feel like because I didn't answer my phone, I lost the job opportunity. /Sigh. I really hope not.

I finally got in some sample labels for my lip balm. I had ordered some a while back but they never showed up. We re-ordered them and of course they showed up the DAY AFTER I labeled 62 tubes lol. It it's incredibly time consuming. I have to print them on regular computer paper, cut them out, and then cut a piece of tape, lay over the label, attach the tape on top of the label (making sure it's straight, no fuzz snuck in, etc) and then attach it to the tube. Yeah, that takes a while! I'm excited to try these labels though.

Well, that's all for now. I need to go take some photos of the batch I made last night. I like those labels more. Plus, I made a new UNflavor! It's funny. I made it so it would appeal to guys, but none of it sold! Hah!

Trying Out A Vegetarian Style Of Eating

Good Afternoon!

For the past two days I've eaten a vegetarian diet (they still eat dairy right?). I watched Food Matters a few days ago and it really made me think about the food choices I have been making. I do generally eat a good healthy diet consisting of whole foods (no low fat, fat free, etc stuff). And I don't have a problem with people who do eat meat (I'll probably still eat it from time to time). I just felt that my body would respond well to more vegetables, fruit, beans, grains, etc since they contain many nutrients that your body needs. I also want to start incorporating Wheatgrass, Spirulina, and some other "Super Foods" into my daily eating habits. I also want to try to eat a good majority of my foods raw. Cooking foods kills the enzymes in them and decreases the nutrient levels.

(You can find a list of Super Foods and their benefits here: http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp/Superfoods )

A nice surprise this morning was a 1.6 pound loss from last week. It was nice because I haven't exercised at all this week (horrible, I know!) but I contribute it to my healthy eating and cutting out meat for the past two days. I'm not going under the recommended 1200 calories (1500 for men) so no one can accuse me of starving myself. Believe me, I'm plenty full after my meals lol.

Last night I made myself some squash and zucchini enchiladas :) I sliced the squash and zucchini and roasted them in the oven with a little Olive Oil, pepper, and sea salt. I wrapped them in an organic whole wheat tortilla wrap and drizzled some homemade enchilada sauce (no flour! It was fine without it) on them. OMG! They were SO good!

This morning for breakfast, I had one apple and one banana cut up on a plate with organic peanut butter. Delicious!

Oh, another thing I've been doing (again) is adding a little bit of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar to my water to sip throughout the day. There are some studies that claim that it burns fat. Some people will argue that, but I can only do what feels right for my body. ACV is also said to help clear up allergies (what I think has been going on with me lately).

(Find info on Organic ACV here: http://bragg.com/products/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar.html )

I am also excited to say that I will be making a natural lipstick very soon! I'm waiting on some supplies to arrive :) As soon as I am happy with a recipe, I'll be making some to put in my Etsy store! www.etsy.com/shop/SilverFoxOrganics



I'll be keeping you up to date!

Silver Fox Organics

I'm sitting here drinking a cup of Organic Green Tea with a splash of Almond Milk trying to boost my immune system. I've had this awful sinus pressure/congestion for nearly three weeks now. I've never had allergies and I rarely get sick. I'm stumped as to what is going on. I just did the Neti Pot with a homemade solution of sea salt, baking soda, and a drop of Organic Tee Tree Oil. It didn't seem to make a different. I still can't breathe through my nose. It's driving me crazy. Tomorrow I'm going to start adding a couple of teaspoons of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar to my water (I carry a stainless steel water bottle with me everywhere I go) to see if that helps. It is said that ACV will clear up any allergies that you may have. I've drank it before just for the health benefits so the taste won't be a shocker to me like it is for some people.

On another note, my Silver Fox Organics Lip Balm is getting a bunch of views on Etsy. I've only had the Etsy shop open for a week, and I'm still trying to getting the hang of it. You can view my shop here: www.etsy.com/shop/SilverFoxOrganics

Here's a little history about Silver Fox Organics. I started it a few months ago because I am a lip balm-aholic! Haha! Really, I wear it year round. I wanted to create a lip balm that was smooth and that had as many organic and natural ingredients that I could find. So far, my lip balms only have three ingredients in them and I intend to keep it that way. They go on so smooth and last longer than any other lip balm that I have ever owned. I wanted to provide people with an organic lip balm that they could feel good about buying.



I'm still working on my photography skills :)

Time to go read a little before bed :)